Through the Mist
by NineteenTwentyone
Summary: Remus likes to spend his holidays working in his dad's sweetshop at the beach. One Easter he meets a group of teenagers,and one boy in particular promises to make this a holiday he'll never forget. Muggle AU. RemusxSirius slash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -  This is a new series I've decided to start. It'll definitely be shorter than _On Musical __Terms_, but I'm not sure how many chapters it'll be right now.  
>This idea is inspired by two things. First, a dream I had, where I was in a place a bit like the setting for this, with a beach and mist. Second, the place where I live, because I actually do live in Scotland and the kind of mist I mention in here has been around all weekend and I felt like writing about it.<br>I hope people enjoy this and please remember to read and review. Thank you! **

**Through the Mist**

**I**

Remus loved the beach at Soleburn in spring.  
>Or more specifically late spring, when the weather always took a turn for the better and was even sometimes warmer than summer.<br>And then there was also the phenomenon of the har. On various days in spring the Scottish coast would be consumed by a hazy, white-grey mist, drifting in from the sea. Remus was fascinated by it. It was what prompted him to stay with his dad every Easter, helping out in the old-fashioned sweet shop instead of whiling away his holiday reading and generally being lethargic. Remus always quite liked staying with his dad, and did so at many opportunities, but Easter was his favourite time.

There was something about the har that drew him in; something about the place, the sea, the beach, the forest behind the small town of Soleburn. Maybe it was the way everyone knew each other, a far cry from the people in London where Remus lived with his mother. Then again, perhaps it was the distinct Scottishness of the whole place, and the way it made Remus feel more connected to himself and his origins. Or maybe it was the spectacle of watching people and houses and whole islands disappear into the mist. It was the thrill of waking up one morning to look outside your window and find nothing but white, and perhaps the odd outline of a tree. People talk about the ultimate emptiness of darkness, but Remus felt he had to disagree. White was so much more absolute, entirely all consuming.

As he got older Remus had began to look forward to these visits less and less, wanting to stay in the city with his friends, or just sitting at home reading. However, this year Remus had a reason to want to escape the claustrophobic hold of London for the open freedom of Scotland. But he was trying his best not to think about it, or rather him.

Remus sat behind the wooden counter of _LUPIN'S LURES_, reading a book whilst sucking on a chocolate lollypop and feeling glad that his dad wasn't there to witness this transgression. A slender figure, quite tall and well built, Remus had finally outgrown that awkward stage between boy and man, and no longer resembled a giant gangly stork. Tawny hair constantly flopped over his amber eyes, something that drove his mother insane. On more than one occasion he had woken to find her in his room, a pair of scissors in hand and a slightly manic smile on her face. Had a social worker been in the room it would probably have got her a nice trip to the courts to practice her acting skills; a thing which seemed to be lacking as Silvia Lupin was constantly out of employment. Remus was never sure why she kept his father's name. His parents divorce had been reasonably civil. They still kept in touch and were, at times, so friendly Remus wondered why they had broken up in the first place.

Just as Remus was mulling this last thought over the bell above the door chimed, alerting him to the fact that he had customers. He stood up and placed a welcoming smile on his face.  
><em>It's all about appearance<em> his dad had told him one day when discussing the finer points of a successful business. Remus couldn't deny it paid off. The idea to make the sweet shop not just a regular run of the mill kind, but transform it into a quaint, old fashioned venue had become its biggest selling point. The walls of the shop were clad in panels of light oak, similar to that on the floor. Rows of glass jars stood on shelves, full of soor plooms, pan drops, Edinburgh rock, tablet and bonbons of countless flavours.  
>Then of course there was the chocolate. Enclosed behind a glass case lay Remus' idea of heaven in the form of carefully arranged stacks of milk, dark and white chocolate. There were nutty chocolates; chocolates full of whisky and other liquors; chocolate with raspberry, strawberry coffee and caramel fillings; chocolates in the shapes of animals and even ones with messages written in chocolate icing. Remus' father was an expert chocolatier and Remus had been learning from him since early childhood. Some of the best chocolates in the shop had been made by him.<p>

Remus turned to face the customers and was met with five teenagers all pushing each other and laughing loudly. _Must be on holiday _Remus thought as he tried to keep a business savvy smile across his face. The group seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen, the same age as Remus.

"What can I get you?" he asked a tall boy with black hair and round glasses, who was currently surveying the ice creams on offer.

"Um, can I get a mint choc chip and a…what was it that you wanted Lily?"

"Strawberry." a pretty red head called from over beside a display of Easter eggs.  
>"Sure thing." Remus replied before asking the others in the group "does anyone else want an ice cream, while I'm here?"<p>

"Yeah," a blonde, slightly rotund boy stood behind with another girl, also blonde. "Can I get two mango sorbets and some of this tablet please?" Remus expertly scooped out the ice cream into four cones and placed them in a holder on top of the counter.

"What are _sewer plumes_?" the black haired boy asked, squinting at the label of a jar full of round green sweets.

"Sour plums" Remus translated, grinning at the atrocious mispronunciation. "They're really nice, especially if you don't have much of a sweet tooth."

"Sounds perfect for me then." a boy at the back of the group looked up from the ice creams at Remus.

"Can I have a pounds worth of those and a lemon sorbet please." The boy said, smiling at Remus in a friendly way.

_Well he's_ _seriously goodlooking. _Remus thought errantly as he tried not to openly stare at the Adonis before him. Remus didn't often apply the term beautiful to a human, and certainly not to a man, but there didn't really seem to be any other way of describing the person in front of him. It was, he reasoned, probably because of the perfect facial proportions, aristocratic high cheekbones and a full mouth set in a pleasant smile. It could also have something to do with the nicely defined body visible through his plain white t-shirt.  
>However it was the boy's eyes which really caught Remus' attention. They were a very pale grey flecked with white, spreading from the iris, all surrounded by a darker circle of almost black. They reminded him of the mist, and Remus was entranced.<p>

He was disturbed from this reverie, and probably stalkerish staring, when the first boy asked "Where are you from? I can quite place your accent."

Remus tore his gaze from the grey eyed boy and replied "Yeah, it's a bit all over the place. My dad is Scottish, he owns this place, but my mum is English. I lived in Edinburgh till I was ten, but then we moved to London. The whole thing kind of screwed up my accent." Remus shut up after he realised he was babbling and had almost given the group his entire life story.

"We're from London!" the blonde haired boy said excitedly "We're on a spontaneous holiday."

"It's our last year at school." The red haired girl had joined the conversation. "Do you know if there's anything in particular to do around here?" Remus laughed.

"I hope that's not the reason you picked here for a holiday. If you wanted stuff to do you should have gone to Stranraer, it's a lot bigger than here, and in the same area." As he was speaking Remus measured out a pound's worth of soor plooms, got the lemon sorbet and took the money as if on auto pilot. He determinedly did not look at the grey eyed boy.

"But that's why we chose here." The girl replied. "We wanted somewhere really remote. I didn't really mean tourist attractions or anything, just interesting buildings and things."

"Well," Remus thought for a second "there are the ruins in the forest; I think that was an old castle or maybe an abbey. The beach is amazing, there's this one bit on the east side with a cave, that's always worth a look at. Apart from that I'm afraid this place is pretty boring."

"Okay, thanks." The black haired boy smiled as he took his ice cream from the little holder on top of the counter. "We'll probably be back here at some point."

"This place is awesome." The blonde boy gestured to the jars of sweets with a look of awe on his face.

"Have a nice day." Remus replied absent-mindedly as the groups traipsed out of the shop. He allowed himself one last look at the boy with the interesting eyes and was startled to find those very objects staring straight into his own. Remus though he might have done something embarrassing then, like gasping or blushing, or tripping even though he was standing still. But he wasn't sure as those eyes took away his power of reasoning, and the ability to remember his own name.

"See you later." The boy promised, before tearing his gaze away from Remus and following his friends out of the shop into the sunshine.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Thanks for the reviews so far, and sorry I've taken a while to update. That might happen a bit more often now I have two series on the go, but I'm hoping to finish this one quickly. I was planning on this only being two or three chapters, but at the rate I'm going it'll probably be around five. **

**Disclaimer – I only own the plot and some place names. The rest belongs to the more inventive mind of JK Rowling. **

**II**

Remus stood on the beach and looked. Hundreds of people must have walked this beach over the years, but Remus wondered how many of them had actually _looked._ How many saw what he saw.

Remus liked the beach at dusk, and today was a particularly spectacular evening. It wasn't often there was a completely windless day in Scotland, but on the occasions when this happened the sea became perfectly still. On such days the ocean turned into an expansive mirror, reflecting whichever colour the sky chose to be that day. On clear days the sea became an amazing pale blue. On days with clouds a light, stormy grey.  
>But Remus' favourite was when there had been a mist that day which cleared by the evening, leaving only a hazy reminder of its existence. This was when the sea became completely white and merged with the sky, so that the only way you could tell where one ended and the other began was the faint line of a far away coast. On such evenings the water often became pink tinged with the reflection of the setting sun.<br>This pure, unadulterated light was broken only by the islands dotted along the estuary. These hulking black shapes, rather than ruining the effect, only stood to increase the beauty of the sea. The islands reflected perfectly in the water, and, as a child, Remus had always liked to imagine that there was another world under the water; a world of reflections.

* * *

><p>The next day was one of those days in April where the weather took a spectacular change for the worse. Remus didn't think he could ever remember weather this bad in all his life. The clouds had rolled in over night and Remus had woken to the sound of hail on his window. The rest of the day had been a strange mix of snow, rain, the occasional bright spell as the sun broke through the clouds, but always an insistent, raging wind. Remus was sure that Scotland was the only place in the world where one could experience so many weather changes in one day. If you were going out for the day you had to be prepared for all types of conditions.<p>

On days such as these, business was never particularly good. Remus didn't usually mind, it allowed him to read in peace, however today he was bored and restless. He almost wished for some customer to take his mind off his boredom, especially if it was that group of teenagers from yesterday.

Just as Remus began rearranging a shelf displays to give himself something to do, a bedraggled figure stumbled through the door and stood, dripping onto the wooden floor. The flimsy hood of his jumper was pulled uselessly over his soaking black hair. He turned to look apologetically at Remus, who recognised him as one of the boys from the other day.

"Bloody weather changes in a second. Thought I'd go out for a quick walk whilst the sky was clear and then _boom_, I'm caught in the rain and completely soaked. Sorry about your floor." He gestured to the growing puddle at his feet.

"It's no bother." Remus sighed. "I'll go get something tae clean it up."

"No, let me." The boy offered. "I made the mess. And it's not like I have anything better to be doing." He added bitterly.

Remus fetched a bucket, a mop and an old dishcloth and handed them to the boy, before turning back to the display of Easter eggs he was rearranging.

"Where are all your friends?" he asked, curious as to why this boy was alone on holiday.

"They're all in their rooms." The grey eyed boy replied as he began to mop up the water on the floor. "James and Lily are a couple, and originally it was just going to be them and me and Peter, but then Peter had to go get a girlfriend as well, so I'm now the official fifth wheel."

A huge flash of lightning followed by the distant rumble of thunder saved Remus from having to think up a reply as both boys jumped in the air.

"Weather's getting worse." Remus murmured softly, more to himself than anyone else.

"Yeah," came a muffled reply from the figure mopping the floor. "walking back is going to be fun."

As the boy bent forward to grab the dishcloth Remus tried not to openly stare at his denim clad rear. Unfortunately he wasn't as surreptitious as he had hoped, if the knowing look the boy flashed him was any indicator.

"I'm Sirius by the way." The boy said, offering Remus his hand over the counter.

"Remus." he replied.

He shook the offered hand and exclaimed "God, you're freezing. You're an absolute eejit for going out in this without a coat."

"So I am." Sirius agreed. "You know you sound really Scottish sometimes, especially when you come out with Scottish words like that." he observed.

"I get them from my dad. He's the most Scottish person you could possibly imagine. It kind of rubs off on me when I'm around him." Remus replied distractedly, not really thinking about his strange fluctuating accent.

"Look, the storm's not getting any better, and if I'm right in assuming you're staying at the Leaky Cauldron it's a good twenty minute walk away. You'll be absolutely drookit by the time you get there, not that you're no already. Why don't you come upstairs and I'll give you something dry to wear?" Remus suggested, hoping it wasn't weird to offer something like that to someone he had met a grand total of twice for no more than five minutes on each occasion.

"Would that be ok?" Sirius asked hopefully. Remus noticed that, now he had stopped cleaning, Sirius was starting to shiver. "What about the shop?"

"It's ok." Remus replied, moving round the side of the counter towards the door. "Naebody will be out shopping in this." he flicked the sign from _Open _to _Closed_ and walked towards a narrow wooden door set in the oak panelled wall, pulling it open.

"Up this way." He nodded his head to the stairs which lay behind the door, and climbed up without looking behind him, the sound of Sirius' footsteps making it obvious he was being followed.

"My room's just along the corridor." Remus said as he turned around to find Sirius' grey eyed gaze directed at an area similar to that which Remus had been ogling earlier.

"See something you like?" he asked, smirking slightly.

"Oh, I don't think I'm the only one who found something to their taste." Sirius retorted, unabashed, his lips curving upward in reply to Remus' smile.

_This may not be the best idea ever _Remus thought to himself as he led Sirius into his bedroom.

"Tell me more about your friends." He requested, hoping to divert his mind from the distracting way Sirius' damp t-shirt clung to his torso.

"There's not much to tell." Sirius scowled. "James, Peter and I had been planning this holiday since fourth year. But then they had to go get girlfriends and bring them along. Anyway, they've basically been ditching me the whole week." Sirius gazed around Remus' room with interest, taking in the bay window with its narrow seat, the single bed in the corner of the room and the massive bookcase which lined the entire wall behind it. Remus was suddenly glad he was neat by nature, the only thing out of order in the small room were the stacks of books lying here and there on the floor.

"Sounds bad." Remus said, more to break the silence than anything else. "Here, I'll get ye some clothes and ye can get changed." He walked over to the built in wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a large woollen jumper, as Sirius was still shivering from time to time.

He brought the clothes over to the dark haired boy and passed the bundle over to him. As his fingers brushed Sirius', Remus felt something like a spark of electricity passing between them, which was ridiculous of course. Because that sort of thing only ever happened in the stupid romance novels his mum liked to read.

"Um, I'll just nip down and check the shop's ok." He said, and rushed out the door without a backwards glance.

His dad was still not back from wherever he had gone. With Remus there to watch the shop, John Lupin had been enjoying a bit of a break from work for the first time in years. He only had one employee, and he had gone to see family over Easter. Remus got worried about his dad sometimes. He worked too much and relied on no-one. It was part of the reason Remus had decided to go to university in Scotland instead of in England like his mum wanted; so he could keep an eye on him.

When Remus thought he had given Sirius enough time to change he made his way back up the narrow stairs and knocked lightly on his bedroom door.

"Come in, it's your room." Came an amused reply, and Remus quickly complied, shutting the door behind him.

"Sorry if the clothes are a wee bit small." He said, noticing the tightness of the shirt on Sirius who was just pulling the jumper over his head as Remus walked in.

"It's fine." Sirius replied, smiling. "Thank you. I have never been treated so nicely by a shop-keeper. Most don't seem to like the look of me very much. Maybe it's the hair, or the ear." Sirius gestured from his almost shoulder length hair to a thin metal band that hugged the curve of his ear.

"Well I'm not exactly a shop keeper." Remus explained. "I'm just helping out my dad."

"I remember you saying you lived in London. How come your dad has a shop here?"

"My parents are divorced." Remus answered, waiting for the usual sympathetic lines to sprout from the other boy's mouth.

"I wish my parents were divorced." Came the unexpected reply. "They're bad enough people by themselves, never mind together."

Sirius walked over to Remus' bed and flopped down at the end, before remembering himself and saying "Sorry, do you mind?"

"Not at all." Remus moved over to the bed and sat down beside the other boy, leaning back against the wall and sighing. "Sorry you're so bored on your holiday. This place can be kind of monotonous if you have no-one to do things with." Remus didn't really have any friends in the village anymore, having moved away so long ago.

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, turning to face Remus with an excited look on his face. "Why don't you come round with us? Then you could show us all those places you were talking about and I wouldn't be the fifth wheel anymore."

"I dinny ken. What about the others?" Remus wavered. It was true that his dad had told him he didn't need to work in the shop all the time, but then again he didn't want to be making friends only to have them leave a week later.

"They won't mind. Come on," Sirius pleaded "it'll be fun."

Remus sighed. "Yeah, sure. I can show you around if you'd like." Sirius beamed at him.

"Awesome. You and James will get on really well, I'm positive." He paused for a second, taking in the books scattered throughout the room. "You're not really into school are you? I mean, please tell me your best friends aren't the teachers and you don't spend most of your free time in the library."

Remus laughed. "I'm afraid I am quite into school, and I _do _spend lots of time in the library," Sirius made a horrified face "but I can assure you I am one of the last people any sane teacher would want tae be friends with."

"Why is that?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Have you ever heard of Fabien and Gideon Prewitt?" Remus enquired. Sirius' face took on a look of dreamy respect.

"Of course I have." He said. "I don't think there's a teacher in London who doesn't know them. They're mischief making _gods_."

"They are." Remus agreed. "Well I go tae the same school they did, and my friends and I have sort of been named their successors."

Remus and Sirius traded stories for a while, talking about their schools, the teachers, and pranks they had pulled on them.

"And then," Remus reminisced happily "after we put the bubble bath and blue food colouring into the fountain, we got the three rabbits (now completely indigo) and set them loose through the school."

"I _heard_ about that!" Sirius exclaimed. "But it was green food colouring and four rabbits."

"Aah, that's almost true. You see I had the idea to paint 1, 2 and 4 on the rabbits. It was hilarious! The teachers spent the rest of the day looking for number three."

"So, I was thinking we could come to the shop tomorrow," Sirius suggested as he got up off the bed and moved towards the door "and you could come out with us." The storm had almost blown over, only a sullen drizzle remained.

"We could go tae the ruins." Remus suggested, following Sirius out of the room. "They're probably the most interesting thing around here."

"Sounds good." Sirius responded as he walked down the narrow passage of stairs, Remus close behind him. Halfway down however, Sirius slipped on some water, pirouetting round as he fell so that Remus could see the comical expression of shock on his face, and only Remus' quick reflexes prevented Sirius from falling straight into the closed door at the bottom of the steps.

Remus suddenly found himself in a very compromising position, his left hand holding desperately onto the banister whilst his right wrapped round Sirius' waist in a comical parody of one of the front covers of his mum's aforementioned romance novels.

"Well," Sirius said conversationally as he leaned backwards at an almost forty-five degree angle, "this is fun."

Remus quickly pulled Sirius back upright until they were both standing on the same step, pressed close together…_very_ close together… perhaps _too _close together Remus thought, his hand still around Sirius' waist.

Sirius' gaze flicked suddenly to Remus' lips before looking back up at his face. Remus stared straight back, captivated by those eyes which reminded him so much of the Scottish sea-mist. As Remus felt Sirius' breath ghost over his face, his own breath caught in his throat and he unintentionally leaned closer.

"Remus, laddie!" a voice shouted from behind the door at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you hame?" the boys sprung apart, as if suddenly burnt. Remus, flushing furiously, shouted down to his dad.

"Yeah, I'm just upstairs wi' a friend. I'll be doon in a minute." He couldn't believe what he'd just been about to do. He was probably completely misreading the signs, and even if he wasn't, it was a very bad idea to get involved with someone who would only be around for a few more days.

"I'll show you to the door." He said awkwardly, not meeting Sirius' eye.

"Yeah," Sirius replied, sounding slightly breathless. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" now Remus did glance at Sirius and, seeing the hopeful look in his eye, nodded.

"Sure."

They walked down the stairs and out through the shop, passing John Lupin on the way.

"Hello." He said to Sirius, smiling pleasantly. "I havne seen you before."

"Sirius Black." He said, offering his hand "I'm up on holiday with friends. We were hoping Remus could show us round a bit."

John's face lit up "That sounds a great idea. Remus disna go oot enough. It's good for him tae see people o his own age, ken."

"Cheers dad." Remus said sarcastically. "Now I sound like the closet recluse." Sirius and John laughed, not making Remus feel any better.

"See you tomorrow Remus." Sirius waved as he shut the shop door behind him and walked off down the street, mist from the har curling around his quickly fading silhouette.

"He seems nice." Remus' dad said mildly, fixing Remus with a gaze which clearly said _you're not fooling me_.

"Yeah. I only met him yesterday, but he seems alright. Anyway, it gives me something tae do." Remus replied, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"Of course it does laddie." His dad smiled, and withdraw behind the shop counter.

Remus retreated back upstairs, determinedly keeping his mind from remembering the event which almost took place there.

_Tomorrow will be interesting, _he thought to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2 – I hope you readers will excuse the awful clichés in this chapter. Getting soaked in the rain, tripping on the stairs and being caught, I'm actually slightly horrified that I wrote them, but they do sort of work.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, I am really surprised (happily so) at the number of reviews I'm getting for this fic. It's doing a lot better than OMT did at first.  
>I also noticed that both this and OMT have been added to The Rapidly Growing Reading List, which makes me fanatically happy. My reaction was almost worse than when I get lots of reviews (as someone who is supposed to be an adult I get childishly happy) To be honest I'm not particularly good with all the forum stuff, and writing from prompts and challenges, although I would like to be. What can I say, technology hates me.<strong>

**III**

The next day found Remus behind the counter of _LUPIN'S LURES_, awaiting the arrival of Sirius and his friends.

The weather seemed to be picking up. It wasn't as warm as it had been earlier on in the week, but the rain had mostly stopped, and the sun made sporadic appearances throughout the day.

Remus wasn't sure how he felt about the prospect of meeting Sirius' friends, and also the idea of spending a day in Sirius' company. He still wasn't certain if the incident the day before had been going in the direction he though (and half hoped) it had.

The question was, of course, did Remus really want anything to happen?  
>Sure, he was attracted to Sirius, and he seemed like a really nice guy. But what would happen when he left again? The whole situation would probably cause more complexity than it was worth. And hadn't he broken up with his last boyfriend (not that he'd cared that much, something he still felt guilty about) because that summer he would be moving back to Scotland, whilst everyone he knew remained in London?<br>That had always been Remus' problem. He was too Scottish to work in England and too English to work in Scotland. The constant moving between countries had lent for a rather lonely childhood. Remus had friends, but none were close. He always knew eventually he would have to leave and pick one or the other, and he didn't regret his decision to pick Scotland. It just seemed ironic that, just when he found someone as intriguing as Sirius who was even from London, Remus was going to be leaving there and it was unlikely they'd ever see each other again.

Remus shook his head as if trying to physically remove his uncertain thoughts. Sometimes he cursed his nature which forced him to over-analyse everything he did. So what if it was only for a few days? As long as he remembered that why couldn't he enjoy spending time with Sirius and his friends?

When Sirius arrived it was only with two people in tow. He left them waiting outside and entered the shop to call on Remus.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You ready to go?"

"Just a minute, I'll need tae tell my dad I'm off." Remus ran upstairs quickly, explained he was leaving, and returned to the shop.

"Ready." He said with a smile. Sirius mirrored the expression and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the door.

"Where are the other two?" Remus enquired.

"Oh, they wanted to go off and have some 'couple time'" Sirius said, making a face. "James and Lily probably would have done the same, if I had let them. Although Lily does seem excited to see the ruins."

Sirius introduced Remus to the others, who seemed genuinely pleased to meet him and Remus was relived that they seemed fine with the idea of him intruding on their holiday. The red haired girl, Lily, in particular appeared to be excited at the thought of a "local" showing the group around.

"I heard that the ruins were a castle which was attacked in the early thirteen hundreds during the wars of independence." She gushed enthusiastically as Remus left the shop and led the group along the high street towards the outskirts of the town. "And there are standing stone nearby which are thought to be the remnants of a sacred Celtic religious spot, probably belonging to druids, which dates back to the Iron Age, perhaps even further. Is that true?"

"Why did you have to fall for such a bookworm?" Sirius whispered to James "It's not an attractive trait in a woman." Lily turned round and shot him a glare similar to the one on Remus' own face.

"What's wrong wi' liking to read?" he asked, mock hurt colouring his voice. "Are you saying that having an interest in books means you are innately unattractive as a person? That they should be alone because naebody will want them?"  
>Sirius floundered briefly, clearly trying to find words to express that he most certainly did <em>not<em> think this and Remus let him stew for a second, enjoying the pink tinge to the other boy's cheeks, before he burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding. You just looked right daft trying to think of something to say." He smiled to show he meant no insult. "And in answer to your question Lily," he turned to the girl who was looking at him in surprise "The ruins were most likely a castle, but there's always the possibility they were an abbey or something the like. All I ken about the standing stones is that they're very old, some folks believe from round abouts the Iron Age, but naebody's really sure."

Remus led the group out of the town and up into the heather strewn hills. He had always enjoyed being in this part of Scotland, where you could find the sea, the forests and the rolling glens the country was famous for. As they walked he pointed out familiar bits of landscape his dad had shown to him as a boy.

"See that wee tower shape on the top o that hill? That's a cairn. It's traditional to take a stone up from the bottom o the hill to the top, see, so the cairn, which is basically a tower of rocks, gets bigger."

The two boys showed less interest in the surroundings than their female friend until they came to an old wooden footbridge, heavy stone slabs at either end with a low stone wall encasing them.

Remus perched on the wall of the small footbridge and watched as Sirius and James tried to cross it. Lily sat down beside him and he noticed that she was staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"I can't believe you did that earlier." She explained.

"Did what?"

"Got away with taking the piss out of Sirius." Lily clarified. "The only person I've ever seen do that and walk away unscathed is James, and those two practically grew up together."

"How long have you known Sirius?" Remus asked curiously.

"Not long, well I've not been close to him anyway. We've been though high school together, but I didn't really get to know him till I started going out with James." She paused to observe the two boys, who perhaps would have been called men were it not for the way the played about, the childish glee on their faces as the reached the other side of the shaky bridge unscathed.

"I sometimes feel like I'm taking James away." Lily confided. "I feel guilty." She looked at Remus, rather embarrassed.

"Sorry to be dumping my emotional baggage on you. I've only known you for a day and you're already having to put up with one of my moments."

"I dinny mind." Remus smiled. "Sometimes strangers can be the best people tae talk to."

"What are you two old women gossiping about?" Sirius, who had successfully crossed the bridge again, ran over to the pair and squished himself in between them.

"This old woman was just wondering how difficult it would be tae pick you up and chuck you in the burn." Remus replied in amusement.

Sirius looked him up and down and declared "It would be impossible my fine friend, for you see, I am much heavier than I appear and, unless you are a lot stronger than you look, I fear it is a feat too far."

"Is he always like this?" Remus asked James who had joined their side.

"No, today is particularly bad." James replied with a grin. "It must be because he's excited that he has a new friend to play with."

The group continued for another five or so minutes before they began their descent down the hill path into the valley below.  
>"The ruins are just along here." Remus gestured to a path which wound through an old beech forest.<p>

"What does this say?" Lily called from behind him. Remus walked over to her and looked down at an old stone. Words in Gaelic were carved across its face.

"I couldne even pronounce it, never mind tell you what it means." Remus confessed sadly. "Gaelic has a' but died out now. It's only really spoken in the highlands and in Gaelic schools. The pronunciation isne easy either, so I canne even read it out loud like you would French, for example."

"How did that happen?" James asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened and when, but from as early as the fifteen-hundreds the English were making changes in Scotland. The banning of Gaelic was one o' them, and so over hundreds of years the language kind of died out."

"That's so sad." Lily whispered

"It's a wee bit more complicate than that." Remus clarified. "I mean, the lowlanders started speaking English anyway, and naebody bothers learning it now because English is such a widely spoken language."

He stood for a minute, staring broodingly down at the rock. "It is sad really, that a language can disappear so easily, that a whole _culture_ can be wiped out sae effortlessly. And naebody seems tae care, even the people to whom the heritage belongs. I think that is what's saddest of all."

Remus visibly shook himself and turned a smile on the three friends beside him.

"Anyway, I thought we came tae see the ruins, no'tae mope around about the past."

He gestured to Lily and James to go before him and waited for Sirius to follow, only to find those grey eyes staring intently into his own.

"Something wrong?" he asked uncertainly.

"Nothing." Sirius smiled. "You seem to know so much about this place."

"I've always been curious about it." Remus replied as the two boys followed the couple ahead of them. "There's something about this place that I feel connected tae. That probably sounds really daft." He said, colouring slightly.

"Not at all." Sirius reassured. "I totally understand, although with me it's more like I feel there should be somewhere I'm connected to, but there isn't."

He smiled wanly at Remus and explained "I don't really get on well with my family, I actually live with James now, and it's sort of like I have no roots at all." Remus felt a stirring of pity for the boy beside him. He had always complained to his parents that he felt torn between England and Scotland, but at least he had half a place that felt like home. Sirius, it seemed, had nothing.

"I really like the history of the place." He said offhandedly, hoping to change to a lighter subject. "I'm actually going tae do history at uni."

"Really?" Sirius asked interestedly. "Where are you planning on going?"

"Edinburgh." Remus replied and was about to elaborate when an excited cry from Lily broke him off.

"They're over there!"

The ruins had always interested Remus. It was part of the reason he had suggested taking the tourists there first. The building wouldn't have been particularly big; a large hall and a few other ground floor rooms creating a rough square around what would most likely have been a courtyard. Remnants of an upper floor were visible in the spiral staircases which ascended to various heights but all came to an abrupt and sudden halt as they discovered the floor above them gone. The walls were in a reasonable condition, despite their age. The forest surrounding them had protected the building from harsh winds, but had also started to infiltrate the structure. Trees could be seen growing in the courtyard, their branches spreading over half collapsed walls. Ferns stuck out from cracks in the stones and ivy covered the archways between rooms. A mist from the hills had started to roll in, curling round walls and extending its grey fingers along the old stone floors. It gave the whole place a dark, mysterious atmosphere.

The four teenagers began to explore the ruins. Lily and James had disappeared early on, and it was only about half an hour after they had first arrived that Remus and Sirius noticed their absence, so distracted by their conversation had they been.

"Where the hell have those two gone?"

"I dinny ken. We must have wondered off from them."

"They may have got lost. We should probably lo-"

Sirius suddenly stopped talking and Remus, turning to peer at him curiously, was surprised to see an expression of almost hurt on his face. Remus followed the direction of Sirius' gaze and landed on the sight of Lily and James, standing under a tree in the courtyard with their arms wrapped around each other as they met in a soft kiss. Remus felt a momentary pang of longing as he looked at the couple, so obviously happy, before he realised the grey-eyed boy had disappeared from his side.

Remus finally found Sirius standing alone in a darkened archway off the main castle.

"I see what you mean." He said conversationally.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked dully.

"That must be a pain in the arse to put up wi, your best mates going off wi' girls all the time."

Sirius raised his gaze from the cracked stone floor up to Remus' eyes and gave a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, it's not been the best holiday ever. I know they don't mean to exclude me, but it kind of hurts all the same, especially James. Me and him are like brothers, and he's basically thrown me off for some girl." Sirius sighed and turned his head away again.

"Sorry to bother you with this." he apologised. "I just don't have anyone I can talk to about it."

Looking at the solitary figure, knowing that Sirius was feeling a similar loneliness to that which plagued him, Remus couldn't help himself. He reached out his hand and gently tipped Sirius' face towards him.

"If I'm completely wrong here, or if I'm slightly right but you werne going tae act on it, then I'm sorry." Sirius' look of confusion was quickly replaced by dawning comprehension as Remus leant forward and captured Sirius' mouth with his own.

Pulling away a few seconds later Remus was gratified to see Sirius' expression was not one of disgust or rejection. In fact he was smiling the first real smile Remus had ever seen on him as he pulled Remus' head towards his and kissed him again.  
>This time the kiss lasted longer, neither boy wanting to break away as their mouths and tongues moved together in an instinctive dance. Through that single kiss Remus could feel the other boy's frustration and solitude, and knew Sirius could feel his own loneliness. Remus found himself pressed against the old stone wall, Sirius leaning into him as he tried to eliminate even the smallest of gaps between their bodies. Remus wound his arms around the other boy's waist and felt Sirius' hands slide up into his hair, pulling gently at the tawny locks when Remus broke away for air. It was as if nothing existed except Sirius and him. As if the rest of the world had disappeared into a mist which consumed everything except the two boys who were consumed in each other.<p>

So distracted were they that they failed to hear approaching footsteps and an accompanying voice.

"Sirius! Where the hell has he gone? Sirius?…oh!" Remus and Sirius jumped apart as James rounded the corner and spotted the two of them, flushed and out of breath.

"Sirius." He said stiffly, a closed expression on his face. "Can I have a word please?" Remus watched as Sirius was half dragged away and debated whether to follow. Obviously James didn't want Remus to hear whatever he was going to say to Sirius, and Remus couldn't shake the feeling that it might be better for him if he didn't know. However, when, after a few minutes of waiting, Sirius had still not returned, Remus' curiosity got the better of him. He ducked under the low archway he had seen James pull Sirius through and followed the sound of angry lowered voices arguing.

"…Not fair to him."

"I wouldn't do anything like…"

"…Just a fling, simply to pass the time because you're bored."

"And why am I bored James?" Sirius' voice was suddenly very close, and Remus skidded to a halt, pressing himself into the shadow of a wall as Sirius stormed past him, James in tow.

"This trip was supposed to be about us, the three of us. A last adventure before we're all too old and too far away from each other to do it anymore. But then you had to invite Evans, and Peter had to get a girlfriend too, and you're always off kissing each other, and what am I supposed to do for the whole time?" Sirius rounded on James, resentment and anger blazing in his eyes.

"You sure as hell weren't supposed to go off and find the first willing person to snog, and take advantage of them. You don't even like boys!" James shouted, and Remus felt his heart sink. He'd had no illusions when he kissed Sirius that he wouldn't be there long, but he had thought that the dark haired boy had liked him, at least a little.

"I do like guys, James." Sirius said quietly, his gazed trained determinedly on the little winged ball design he had penned onto his converse. "I just never got the guts up to tell you."

Remus saw James stare at his friend for a second, before stepping forward and pulling him into a rough hug.

"I'm hoping you didn't think I would care about something like that." He said, his anger quickly dissipating, and from where Remus stood he could see the look of surprise and relief on Sirius' face. Remus turned around, not wanting to disturb what was obviously a private moment, and went in search of Lily.

"Have they made up?" she asked in an amused tone when he finally found her.

"I guess so." Remus replied. Lily looked Remus up and down, taking in his slightly dishevelled appearance and reached over to pluck at his hair.

"You had a leaf stuck in it." she explained, shooting Remus a knowing look that made him wish women weren't quite so astute.

"Come on, we'd better get back for lunch." He said, pointedly ignoring the question in Lily's eyes and the look in Sirius' which clearly said _we'll talk later_, as the group made their way out of the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2 – So, I've left you a mini cliff hanger here. Unfortunately I may not be able to upload the new chapter (as it hasn't been written yet) or another chapter of OMT for a while as I have two dissertations to finish and exams in May (kill me now). However I will try to put something up in the next two weeks.**

**It occurred to me that people may not know what some of the words mean. Just ask if you don't know, or I could put in a mini Scots to English dictionary if people would prefer. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - I am so sorry this took so long! I have exams right now and I've had extreme writer's block and I wanted to give you all a good chapter a little later rather than a shit one on time.**

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><p><strong>IV<strong>

Remus was dreaming quite happily when a persistent tapping noise prodded at his unconsciousness. Determinedly he tried to ignore it but, when it refused to desist, he found himself wide awake, standing up in anger; ready to harm whatever it was that had disturbed his sleep. The source of the noise appeared to be the window, which didn't make any sense as windows, being inanimate objects, don't generally make noises. Remus cautiously pulled back the curtains just as something small and round came hurtling towards him and hit the window with a dry _plink_. This, Remus realised, was the source of his wakefulness. Warily, he opened the window and stared at the ground below. Illuminated in the light from a pale full moon stood Sirius, staring up at him with a look of apprehension.

"Oh thank God." He said. "I was terrified I'd get your dad's room."

"What are you doin' here?" Remus hissed.

"I wanted to see you." Sirius explained, a small smile gracing his features as he stared up at Remus.

"Hang on, I'll be right down." Remus sighed, hastily withdrawing his head back into the room. He pulled on the pair of jeans he had worn that day and the first t-shirt which came to hand, grabbed a pair of shoes and walked as quietly as possible past his dad's door.

"Hey." he called quietly to Sirius who jumped slightly in the shadows of the building. He turned, coming forward to meet Remus. The grey eyed man hesitated for a second before leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Remus' lips.

"What was that for?" he asked in surprise.

"I didn't want you thinking I just kissed you to spite James." Sirius replied. "I noticed you got a bit quiet after…after we kissed. And I was worried you thought I was just using you to get back at him."

"Yeah," Remus said softly "I did think that. But I'm no really in any place to say anything to you. We dinny really ken each other, and it's no like we'll see each other again after this." Remus tried to keep any hope out of his voice as he said this. He had no illusions that this couldn't be serious, but he felt he had to explain to the other boy that he understood what it was.

"Anyway," he continued "I kissed you, no the other way around, so maybe it's me who should be apologising."

"No, don't apologise." Sirius insisted with a grin as he moved in closer to Remus. "I rather enjoyed that particular incident."

Remus shivered slightly, and wished he had thought to bring a jumper.  
>"Was there any particular reason you came tae see me tonight?"<p>

Sirius grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, I was thinking, as the night is surprisingly warm, we could go swimming."

"Sirius, it disne matter how warm the air seems, the water in Scotland is always at least ten degrees colder." An amused Remus informed him.

"Are you telling me that, even as a native, you're too chicken to go skinny dipping in the middle of the night in the Scottish sea?" Sirius enquired, one dark eyebrow raised in a way Remus found ridiculously sexy.

"Who said anything about skinny dipping?" he asked.

"I did. Just a second ago. Now come on, we're going swimming." Sirius grabbed his wrist and pulled him along the street behind him.

"Um Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"The beach is in the opposite direction."

"Oh."

In the end they didn't go skinny dipping. The water, just as Remus had predicted, was absolutely freezing. He watched in amusement as Sirius dipped his feet in only to jump out of the sea seconds later cursing. Remus, who had rolled his jeans up to the knees, stayed in the water.

"I told you it was too cold tae swim." he laughed. He had known full well how freezing the water would be. Sirius, upon seeing this and hearing Remus' laughter at his discomfort, sought to rectify the situation by sneaking up behind Remus, dipping his hands in the water and pouring the liquid all over his head.

"Fucking hell Sirius." He cursed, wiping salty water out of his stinging eyes. "The water's bloody baltic."  
>Sirius just cackled evilly and danced away from the water droplets Remus kicked after him. Remus quickly pursued him and for a while they simply ran about the beach, laughing and tripping over unidentified objects half buried in the sand.<p>

Eventually Remus caught Sirius, half tackling him with a roar of rage.

"Is that supposed to be the famous Scottish war cry I've heard about?" Sirius asked with a grin as he stared up at Remus who had successfully knocked him to the ground and was now kneeling over him, a satisfied expression on his face.

"It's not particularly impressive."

"That's because it isne a war cry." Remus said with an answer, almost feral grin. "It's a very different type of cry."

Copper hair dripping onto the other boys cheeks, Remus leant in and kissed Sirius, demonstrating exactly what type of cry it was and eliciting other kinds from the boy below him.

* * *

><p>The days passed far too quickly for Remus. All too soon he had gotten used to the dark haired boy's company. Sirius had spent most days with him, choosing to avoid his coupled friends. Remus knew James disapproved, felt that Sirius was being unfair to him, but Remus thought differently. He knew that, had circumstances not left Sirius with two couples and no other diversions available, he wouldn't have looked twice at Remus. So the tawny haired man decided to make the most of the short time they had.<p>

Two days before Sirius' departure found Remus and Sirius alone again, the other couples opting to stay inside due to the return of the mist and the damp cold it brought with it.

Sirius had decided he wanted to climb one of the hills.

"All anyone ever talks about when they go to Scotland are the lakes and the hills. I've seen the lakes, and I'll be damned if I don't climb at least one hill."

So Remus had picked a relatively high one he remembered walking up as a child, and the two had set off just after lunch.

Remus guided Sirius off the main road towards a gate, set higher than the low wall separating the village from the wilderness of the hills. They walked along the small footpath in silence, both lost in thought.

After around half an hour of walking the two young men came to a halt by an old tree, slanted at an unusual angle to compensate for its position set halfway up the hill. They sat themselves down between the arched roots of the tree, taking in the landscape in front of them. Mist clung to the sides of the hills; in the distance the crests of the mountains were all that were visible, protruding islands in a sea of fog.

"I canny believe how much I've missed this." Remus said to himself, or at least he thought his revelation had been internal until Sirius turned to him and enquired

"Missed Scotland?"

"Aye, no, well…aye. It's more like I've missed my childhood. I grew up here; my most fond memories are o' this place. But it's sort of all the aspects that make up Scotland I've missed. You dinny really ken how much you love something till it's no there anymore." Remus laughed self consciously. "There I go again, sounding like some bloody nationalist." He turned and caught Sirius looking at him.

"What?"

Sirius didn't answer, simply taking Remus' face in his hands and kissing him gently on the lips.

"I'm going to miss you." He said when they broke apart. Remus looked away.  
>Both men had actively avoided discussing Sirius' impending departure with a tenacity the most stubborn toddler couldn't have rivalled.<p>

"We'd better get going if we want to reach the top today." Was all Remus said as he stood up and held out a hand to help Sirius.

After another hour and a half of walking they made it to the summit of the hill and stood, panting, side by side as they took in the view spread out below them.

The mist had receded slightly to reveal the valley below. Forests of beech and Scot's pine littered the floor of the dell, climbing the hills on either side. A narrow gap containing a small river could easily be seen dividing the trees. Above the line of the forest, the smoke from the chimneys of the village could just be made out.

"It's beautiful." Sirius stated quietly, brushing his hand against Remus' and slowly entwining their fingers together. They stood like that for a moment, content to stay silent in each other's company.

"We'll have tae go back soon." Remus murmured, not disentangling his hand from Sirius'.

"Why?"

"It'll get too dark tae see well. Especially with these clouds." Both turned their heads up towards the sky which, as if it had heard Remus' comment, let out an ominous rumble followed by the soft drop of rain.

"Bugger." Remus swore softly. "You can tell I havne been here in a while. No true Scot would have climbed a hill without at least waterproof."

"We're going to get soaked." Said Sirius calmly, as if commenting on the date.

"Aye, I'm a bloody eejit." Remus paused and thought for a minute.

"I'm sure there used to be an old bothy around here. The roof wasne so good, but it would still keep us dry."

"What is a bothy?" Sirius enquired.

"It's a small stone building," Remus replied, pulling Sirius by their joined hands in the direction he thought the bothy might be "you find them all over the highlands. They're usually left open, sae awbody can use them. Not that that's an issue with the one I have in mind."

After ten minutes of searching, in which both young men got completely soaked from the deluge of rain that was now coming down, they finally spotted the bothy, set into a dip in the hill, the roof covered with grass.

"Inside." Remus gasped, cold and out of breath from running around trying to find the place.

Once inside it was obvious what Remus had meant about the place not needing to be locked. There was no door, only a board over the gap in which one used to reside. On the left hand side of the one roomed hut the ceiling had caved in slightly, water was dripping slowly through the hole. The rest of the place was in a surprisingly good condition considering these two factors. A small fireplace was set into the stone of the back wall. A narrow platform ran along the entire wall of the right hand side of the building, a couple of old cushions and blankets suggesting it was supposed to be used as a couch or bed.

"Bugger." Remus cursed again, surveying the dark room with distaste.

"It's not so bad." Sirius said cheerfully, stripping off his soaking jacket and boots. "At least it's dry."

"Aye, but it's no exactly warm." Remus pointed out, shivering slightly as the effects of his exercise wore off and the cold began to seep through to his skin.

"I guess you'll just have to take off your clothes then." Came Sirius' muffled voice, and Remus turned round to see him doing exactly that.

"I could use some help." Sirius stated, his shirt stuck halfway up his body with his arms trapped inside.

"I can see that." Remus said, moving over to help Sirius. "I'm no sure being half naked is going tae help you warm up though."

"Clearly you have never seen any survival movies." Sirius grinned moving over towards the raised platform in the corner of the room.

"Stuck in a deserted place? Cold, wet, tired? The answer is always the same: get naked, get close together, and keep warm."

Remus shot Sirius a glare, trying to ignore the way his body heated up at simply the suggestion.

"I'm not joking." Sirius insisted as he walked over to Remus, now clad in a blanket, to insistently tug at his shirt. "Take it off. You can keep your trousers on, but at least have the top half of your body warm."

Remus sighed and, as he actually _had_ seen those types of survival films, did as he was told. He shivered more violently than ever as the cool fabric left his skin, and he gratefully took the blanket Sirius held out for him. It was slightly scratchy, probably made out of wool, Remus thought, and he was amused to see it was tartan patterned. As if the whole thing couldn't get any more stereotypically Scottish. It was just a shame he wasn't ginger and wearing a kilt.

Sirius walked over to the platform and sat down, patting the space beside him in a request for Remus to join him. Remus did so, and surveyed the small hut again.

"I have definitely been here before. Actually, now I come tae think about it, I'm sure I got in tae a similar situation wi' me mum and dad one time, and we ended up sheltering in here from a storm." Remus smiled at the memory.

"We were a wee bit more prepared that time though. In fact…" he got up and walked over to the fireplace, sticking his hand in a little hole in the wall.

"Ahah!" he exclaimed, holding up two candles, a cigarette lighter and a bottle of whisky. "These were here last time too. Quite useful considering it's sae dark in here."

"And the whisky?"

"Quite useful tae warm you up." Remus grinned.

He gazed at the fireplace speculatively. "It's a shame there isne any wood though."

When the candles lit, standing vigil on either side of the fireplace, Remus returned to his seat beside Sirius. The cold wasn't so bad over in that corner. The cushions were actually quite comfortable, even if the platform was somewhat narrow. They passed the bottle of whisky between them, not drinking too much as they didn't fancy walking down the hill drunk, or even slightly tipsy. Remus had been extremely amused at the coughing fit Sirius had staged after his' first sip of the burning amber liquid.

Remus shivered. Despite the whisky he was still cold. His legs were freezing. Sighing, he quickly unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them off his legs, spreading them out on the floor with the rest of their clothes.

"What are you doing?" Sirius asked, a slightly alarmed edge to his voice.

"Only what you suggested." Remus replied, amused at Sirius' reaction. "Dinny fash yersel. I still have boxers on."

He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped the blanket as far round as it would go, vaguely noticing out of the corner of his eye Sirius following his example and divesting himself of his trousers.

"This is one thing I dinny miss about Scotland." Remus muttered. "When they say April showers they mean it literally. You dinny ken when one's about tae sneak up on you."

Outside the rain continued to pour down, battering against the small stone building as if it had done it some personal offense. The candles created a soft glow of warmth in the otherwise cold room. Remus could see his breath curl out in front of him. After a few minutes of silence, disturbed only by the sound of Remus' teeth chattering, Sirius shot an irritated glance in his direction.

"This is ridiculous Remus." he said, pulling Remus towards him so that he was almost in the other man's lap. An hour ago Remus might have protested, now he just moved closer, glad of the warmth of two blankets and another person's body.

"That's better." Sirius sighed. "This makes a lot more sense."

He grinned suddenly, "I promise not to jump you, even if it would be a good way of keeping warm."

"That's a shame." Said Remus mildly. "I guess I'll have tae jump you instead." He reached up and grabbed the back of Sirius' neck, pulling his head towards Remus' own. Their lips met in a satisfying blend of heat and urgency, Remus pulling Sirius closer as he tried to get as much warmth out of the other young man as possible.

"Remus," Sirius gasped, pulling back slightly "I was joking, you know. You don't have to-"

"Haud yer wheesht." Remus said exasperatedly and Sirius, though not knowing exactly what Remus meant, seemed to get the general idea as he shut up and allowed the other young man to continue with his exploration of his mouth.

Discontented with the space between him and his heat source, Remus twisted round until he was almost lying on top of Sirius, pushing the dark haired man down onto the cushions. Both groaned as their hips came into contact with the others. Remus felt the blanket begin to slip off his shoulder and was about to pull it up when he felt Sirius' fingers ghosting over his skin, retrieving the fallen material. He shivered, but this time it was not caused by the cold. Sirius' hands glided down Remus' chest, over his stomach to rest above the line of his boxers.

"This might not be the best idea." He said,

"No." Remus agreed. "No in the long term, anyways, but right now I think it's a very gid idea because I am absolutely freezing and I canny think o' a better way tae warm up." And as he removed the last barrier of clothes from both of them, Sirius seemed to decide it was a good idea too. And then in contrast to the cold, there was only was heat and sweat and moans stifled against shoulders and necks, and all Remus could think was that he never wanted it to stop.

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><p>Remus stood, staring broodingly down the old fashioned station platform at the old fashioned steam train waiting there. Smoke from the funnel curled around and down the glass roof to mix with the mist furling in from the gap at either side of the building.<p>

"I can't believe it's been ten days already!" Lily gushed as the group of six, five about to leave, stood beside the train.

"I've had such an amazing time." The other girl agreed, staring lovingly at her boyfriend. Remus had never actually bothered learning her name and he couldn't quite recall that of her boyfriend either. Something beginning with P… Peyton, Percival?

"I'm definitely coming back some time." James said with a grin, clapping Remus on the back in a friendly manner. "It was really nice meeting you, thanks for showing us round. You should come see us in London some time."

"Perhaps I will." Remus replied with a smile.

"The train will be leaving in a minute, guys." Pomenance said, worriedly glancing down at his watch.

Remus tried not to let his expression reveal his turbulent feelings as he said goodbye to each member of the group in turn. Finally it came to Sirius, and the other four wisely decided to board the train and give the two young men some privacy.

"Well, I guess it's time tae say goodbye." Remus said, giving Sirius a half hearted smile. Sirius on his part merely looked uncomfortable.

"I wish it didn't have to be."

Remus shrugged. "We both kent this was only goin' tae be a one week thing." He said, trying to sound casual and schooling his face into a completely blank expression as he looked at the ground by Sirius' shoes. The attempt at nonchalance, however, was completely ruined when he felt Sirius gently tip his chin up, forcing Remus to look him in the eye.

"I'll come back." he said softly.

Remus gave a wan smile. "I'm sure we'll be seein' each other at some point."

"I mean it." Sirius assured, his voice low and insistent. "I want to see you again."

Looking into the other man's storm grey eyes, Remus could see that he did mean it, and it was only this that made it possible for him to choke out a soft "Goodbye."

Sirius leant forward and kissed Remus on the cheek.

"Bye." He breathed softly staring into Remus' eyes for another long moment before turning on his heels and jumping into the train after his friends.

Remus watched as the train left the platform, slowly disappearing through the mist.

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><p><strong>AN – I hope that was worth the wait. I had a lot of trouble with the beginning and the end. I have one last chapter after this, but I think it's going to be more of an epilogue then an actual chapter. Please review! My confidence could do with some boosting. My English exam is this Thursday and it would be really nice to know I can actually write. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Well I have finally finished a series. I have to say I was expecting to finish On Musical Terms first, but this is quite a bit shorter so I guess it makes sense. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, in particular _TechNomaNcer28, Baby Blue Sparrow, Lizzy0308 and, Bottlebrush _who stuck it out from the beginning and took the time to review every chapter. I know it can be a pain waiting for an incomplete series.**

**V**

Remus liked Edinburgh University. He liked Edinburgh in general. The small city was split into the old town and the new, though the latter was still at least two hundred years old. Ancient buildings emanating an air of gothic elegance gave way to the graceful antiquity of the Victorian and Georgian townhouses. The numerous parks made a welcome break from this landscape of stone, and Remus could see himself sitting in such places with a book between lectures quite happily. The university itself was a mixture of old and new. Remus wasn't too fond of the modern buildings, feeling that they ruined the ambience of historic intrigue, but tried his best to ignore them when he passed by on the campus. Remus gazed up distastefully at the buildings in question as he left the library and walked along the cobbled road towards a large crowd gathered for some event or other. Most of all what Remus liked about Edinburgh was that it was a completely new place. It held no memories, but only the tantalising promise of ones to come. In particular, this change of scene allowed Remus to stop brooding over one Sirius Black. He would have been angry at the man, for how quickly and efficiently Sirius had found his way into his heart, had it not been for the fact that he missed him too much to feel any other sort of emotion towards the bastard. Remus hadn't thought it was possible to fall so hard so rapidly, yet fall he did. And after he had worked so hard at keeping a distance from people, knowing he would likely not see most of them again. It both irritated and depressed him.

It was Wednesday, and the third day Remus had spent at the university during Fresher's week. So far he had found himself exploring the older buildings of the university and the surrounding city as opposed to doing what most other people were; getting drunk and generally celebrating a freedom only moving away from home can bring. Though Remus himself was enjoying the perks of this last benefit, he found himself wishing there was at least one person at the university that he knew. He was a slightly introverted person by nature, though he had been fine at school once he found one or two people. Then other friends had followed. It was the initial act which Remus found awkward. He had always found it difficult to make the effort in becoming friends with someone.

Remus sighed as he surveyed the crowd in front of him. It was always easier when people came to him. It was also easier when the majority of people weren't drunk and would remember who he was after this week. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, Remus has actually spent a large portion of the summer holidays worrying he would be too weird to make any friends and would spend the majority of his university life alone. He also worried that he wouldn't be good at the course; that he would constantly get lost; that he wouldn't like the course; that he would run out of money in the first few months and have none left for food and therefore starve and die. Remus' mother had often asked him if he enjoyed worrying, it was just that he did it so often and with such dedication it was difficult to believe he wasn't trying to perfect it as an art form.

"REMUS!" a voice called suddenly from the midst of the crowd. Remus turned to see a dark haired man pushing his way past people and his mild confusion turned to surprise as he realised who was walking towards him, a huge grin lighting up the man's grey eyes as they locked onto his own.

"Sirius?" Remus gaped, "What on earth are you doing he-"

But he didn't get to finish his query as, the moment Sirius reached him, Remus felt two hand come up to frame his face and suddenly he was being kissed by another man in the middle of the university in broad daylight in front of people he didn't know now but was probably going to sometime in the future. But Remus forgot his objections as Sirius' lips commanded his attention and he kissed him back.

A few people wolf-whistled and Remus, who suddenly realised they were public, pushed Sirius away with an embarrassed cough.

"Come with me." He ordered.

Remus dragged Sirius away from the main crowd and into one of the little parks they seemed to have everywhere in Edinburgh.

"Why are you here and what the hell was that?" Remus demanded, rounding on Sirius and glaring at him intently.

"Five months since you last saw me and that's all you have to say?" Sirius asked with a wounded expression.

"I think you just outed me tae the whole of first year and half of second!" Remus exclaimed, spreading his arms wide as if to demonstrate the size of the issue.

Sirius grinned. "Actually I just outed _us_ to the whole of first year and half of second."

"Now I'm going to be known as the guy who– what do you mean us?" Remus asked, stopping mid-rant.

"I never told you that Edinburgh was one of my university options did I?" Sirius asked offhandedly as he grabbed a reluctant but curious Remus by the arm and led him to an empty bench, secluded on three sides by a rambling rhododendron bush. "Though admittedly it was lower down on my list."

"So, you're going tae uni here?" Remus enquired mildly, trying to calm himself down from his sudden outburst.

"Yes." Sirius smiled again. "Mostly because of you. I think I decided when you told me where you were going, the day we went to visit the ruins."

Remus shot him a dirty look. "Please tell me you didne base a life changing decision like that on a guy you've known for a week."

"Give me some credit Remus." Sirius laughed, meeting Remus' glare. "That's only half the reason. I picked it because the rest of my choices were in England, and to be honest I want to get away."

"And you thought you could just waltz in here and pick up where we left off? What if I've met somebody else?" Remus demanded, not entirely sure why he was being so harsh on the other man. Sirius' expression, which so far had been one of happiness and amusement at Remus' outburst, took on a look of unease.

"Have you?" he asked.

Remus sighed and turned his gaze from Sirius to the trees in front of him, clasping his hands on his knees.

"No, I havne, I…" he paused for a second, not entirely sure he wanted Sirius to know how much of a hold he had over him.  
>"I couldn't forget you." He finished softly.<p>

Glancing briefly in the other man's direction Remus was annoyed to see a huge grin on Sirius' face.

"You dinny need tae look sae happy about it." he muttered.

"But you just admitted that you missed me. You mourned my absence. You pined, you burned, yo-"

"I said I couldn't forget you." Remus argued, a small smile gracing his features at the sight of Sirius' theatrics. "That doesne mean I missed you. It could just be that my experience with you was sae bad I was put off men forever."

Laughing at the insulted expression on Sirius' face Remus continued. "In fact, yes, I do believe I may have tae go back tae women."

"I missed you too." Sirius said, shooting Remus a knowing look which told him he was not fooled at all. He knew that Remus was only acting so grumpy because he had missed him and didn't want to admit how much.

"I still dinny see why you thought it was a good idea tae create some sort of romance novel scene wi' me as the swooning heroine airhead." Remus grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting in a way that made him look at least three years younger and a lot less mature.

"I'm sorry." Sirius said as he tried not to laugh at how childish and cute Remus looked when he was sulking. "But at least now I've staked my claim."

Remus arched an eyebrow and enquired sardonically "Oh really? And what makes you think you have any such claim, Mr. Black?"

"This." Sirius said as he leant in and kissed the other man, rather than draw out Remus' feelings in a verbal affirmation.

The two men sat in comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying the fact that they were in each other's company once again.

"So, you got in to do History then?" Sirius asked offhandedly.

"I'm actually doing a joint course in History and Gaelic studies."

"Does that mean you'll be learning the language then?" Sirius asked with a smile, and Remus wondered if he too was remembering another conversation that they had on the day they visited the ruins.

"Aye. It was a very last minute decision."

They lapsed into silence once again before Sirius commented "Your accent has changed a bit."

"I tend to automatically adjust it tae blend with wherever I am." Remus explained. "Believe it or not when in London I sound almost English."

"What about here?"

"I think I just tone down the Scottish a bit. It's an involuntary reflex of mine." Remus replied with a wry smile. "Comes with moving around a bit I guess."

"Hey." Sirius said, turning to face Remus properly. "Do you think you could take me back to Soleburn during the October break?"

"Of course." Remus agreed, surprised that Sirius would ask that. "Why?"

"I really liked it there. And I hear the woods and hills are amazing in autumn. Maybe we could go back up to that old bothy?" he shot Remus a predatory grin.

"Of course." Remus repeated, returning the smile with one of his own.

"And Remus…" Sirius began, nervousness clear in his voice.

"Hmm?"

"Would you…would you maybe like to move in with me, after Christmas or something?"

"That's crazy." Remus said bluntly, though he couldn't keep a smile off his face.

"It is a bit, isn't it?" Sirius agreed, grinning back as he stared intently into Remus' eyes.

"But you're going to say yes, right?"

Remus laughed "Well, as I was thinking of moving out of halls around that time anyway, and I was going tae look for at least one roommate, I suppose there's no reason tae refuse."

"And is that the only reason?" Sirius pressed.

"I suppose the fact that you'd be much more accessible for sex does kind of swing it in your favour." Remus mused, his lips curling up at the sides.

"Hmm, a little better." Sirius said, amusement glinting in his eyes. "But still not quite convincing enough."

"Maybe because by saying yes I'm effectively agreeing tae go out with you until Christmas and possibly longer?" Remus hedged.

"Definitely longer." Sirius affirmed, moving closer to Remus who made a noise of agreement as he too leaned forward. The image of Sirius' mist-grey eyes was imprinted in Remus' mind long after he had closed his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN – I hope people enjoyed the end. It's supposed to be more of an extended epilogue to tie up loose ends then an actual chapter.  
><strong>**Actually, I almost didn't write it. I sort of wanted to leave it where chapter four left off. When I got to around 1000 words on this chapter I started to feel it was getting too corny and "Hollywood ending" for my liking. And when I decided that I'd rather have Remus and Sirius end up separated than together the way I had written it I knew I was doing something wrong. So I tried my best to fix it, I hope I haven't done too bad a job. Thanks for reading it to its end. **

**~1921~**


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